Running a bit late on this one. Today I am going to show how to use NIGHT SHIFT with one of my often-forgotten witches, the Hedge Witch for Hero's Journey RPG, First Edition.
The Hero's Journey is a great RPG from James M. Spahn. Designed to capture the feel of a bygone time when people would go on adventures for the sake of adventure. The rules are close enough to Swords & Wizardry to be, oh, 95%-97% compatible. In truth, it is my favorite presentation of the Swords & Wizardry rules.
The class I designed for it is the Hedge Witch. Someone that dabbles in magic but was not a full-on wizard.
The Hedge Witch
These are lower-powered witches and are thus perfect for dabblers or supernatural species that also gain other abilities.
The Hedge Witch has the following powers.
Level 1: Supernatural Awareness. This acts as a Detect Evil spell, and the Hedge can determine if someone is a supernatural creature in disguise or not.
Level 4: Craft Potions. The stock and trade of the Hedge witch are her potions. Guidelines are the same as in the Witch for the Hero's Journey book. Essentially she can replicate any spell she knows.
Level 7: Evil Eye. She can cast the Evil Eye spell once per day at any target.
Level 10: Curse. The hedge witch can curse one target per day.
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I did Ethyl Critchlow a while back as an Urban Hag, but I always wanted to give her some levels in witch.
Ethyl Critchlow9th Level Hedge Witch / Urban Hag
Strength: 17 (+2)
Dexterity: 17 (+2)
Constitution: 18 (+3) s
Intelligence: 16 (+2) P
Wisdom: 16 (+2) S
Charisma: 8 (-1)
HP: 78
Alignment: Dark / Chaos
AC: 2
Attack: +1
Fate Points: 1d10
Check Bonus (P/S/T): +5/+3/+1
Melee bonus: +2 Ranged bonus: +2
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects
Witch Abilities
Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers
Arcane (Occult) Powers
Supernatural Awareness, Craft potions, Evil Eye
Skills
Knowledge (supernatural), Knowledge (occultism), survival
Background
400 year-old hag
Spells
First Level(4): Bad Luck, Far Sight, Glamour, Minor Curse
Second Level(3): ESP, Evil Eye, Night's Companion
Third Level(3): Clairvoyance, Mind Shield, Scry
Fourth Level(2): Discern Lies, Remove Curse
Fifth Level(1): Primal Scream
Note Ethyl uses Intelligence as her prime for spell casting.
Every child, whether human or witch-born, knows to stay away from the house on the corner of Taylor and Bell. Here sits an old run-down house that everyone thought would either fall in on itself or the city would have condemned.
But it is not the house that frightens the children, though it is frightening. Nor is it the small angry dog everyone remembers from their childhoods, making it at least 25 years old or older. Rumor in the neighborhood is that once the dog got out and bit the fingers off of a boy who could not run fast enough.
It is not the dog or the house. It is the owner of both that keeps people away.
Ethyl Critchlow looks like a stereotypical old witch, but this is just a glamour, her true form is that of an ancient and hideous old hag. She is an Urban Hag and has been living in West Haven for nearly as long as there has been a West Haven. She hates all children and takes glee in terrorizing them, but a pact made with the City Council keeps her from doing any actual harm to them. Though if their toys land in her yard she will keep them and if any child climbs her fence to get these toys then she will send her "dog" (in actuality a glamoured Hell Hound) Maximillian after them.
Ethyl would also admit that at her age (almost 400), eating children, especially modern ones, gives her terrible heartburn. Though she did eat a couple of missionaries from East Haven back in the 1960s, but no one came looking for them.
She stays in West Haven because she has nowhere else to go. The city tolerates her and is just waiting for her to finally die of old age or a magical mishap. She is also a great source of magical knowledge and history. She can be bribed with 18-year-old single malt scotch. Ethyl is a heavy drinker, so bring more than one bottle if you plan to use this for information. Also, fair warning, as Ethyl drinks, her glamour begins to fade. Her glamour will be gone when she has worked through two bottles.
Urban Hags are hoarders. Her home is a falling apart pit of junk she has collected over her nearly four centuries of life. Amongst the filth, garbage, and debris of decades, there are also some magical treasures. In particular, Ethyl has several magical scrolls with spells that can be used by any witch or scholar. There is also a magical pipe that can lure the undead to sleep. Though one is advised not to go looking for such treasures.
You can get NIGHT SHIFT in print and pdf. You can get my the Witch for Hero's Journey RPG here.
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